Oct 17 2017

Recommended: Brian Landrus Orchestra – “Generations”

 

It’s more than a little compelling the way Brian Landrus keeps switching things up when it comes to revealing facets of his lyricism.  Of a more recent vintage, the multi-instrumentalist accomplished the feat via a focus on the love song and in a trio setting on 2015’s The Deep Below.  No less intriguing was the 2013 large ensemble work Mirage, an album that stretched out further than matters of the heart and incorporated the music of different eras in one voice.  This time around, it’s a 25-piece orchestra, and while the lyricism of Generations retains a sharpness specific to Landrus’s vision, there’s also the sense that he simply let the orchestra loose out of simple curiosity to where it might all fly off to.  The giant swells of harmony and how soloists cut through and diverge away on “The Warrior” is the most immediate evidence of this.  On the other hand, the strict discipline of how the ensemble rolls out the five-part “Jeru Concerto” shows that tight control is no obstacle to attaining beauty, either.  And a parallel could be drawn to the narrow focus of “Arrow in the Night” and how its impact is no small effect.

It’s a good idea to keep Landrus on your radar, if for no other reason than what comes next is likely not to resemble what came before.

Your album personnel: Brian Landrus, Jamie Baum, Tom Christensen, Darryl Harper, Michael Rabinowitz, Alden Banta (woodwinds), Debbie Schmidt, Ralph Alessi, Igmar Thomas, Alan Ferber, Marcus Rojas (brass), Brandee Younger (harp), Sara Caswell, Mark Feldman, Joyce Hammann, Meg Okura, Lois Martin, Nora Krohn, Jody Redhage and Maria Jeffers (strings), Joe Locke (vibraphone), Billy Hart, Justin Brown (drums), Jay Anderson, Lonnie Plaxico (bass) and JC Sanford (conductor).

Released on BlueLand Records.

Music from Brooklyn.

Available at:  Amazon

And be sure to check out Landrus’s 2013 release Mirage.  It received the #21 slot on this site’s Best of 2013 list, and like all the excellent recordings on that list, probably deserved a higher spot and definitely deserves all the attention it can get.

 

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0

Oct 16 2017

The Round-up: And there you are, gone

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Girls In Airports – Live (Edition Records)

This live 2017 recording could double as a deconstruction of what makes the Danish quintet Girls In Airports so damn compelling.  The opening third of the recording shows their talent at crafting incisive melodies that are as delightfully catchy as they are heartbreakingly pretty.  The album’s middle section highlights the quintet’s ability to employ those melodies to create a diffuse atmosphere, where the melody isn’t something to embrace as it is to breathe in and slowly exhale.  And then the album’s final section brings out the rhythmic devices used to either spur the melodies on or corral them in place.  And when it all comes together, those moments when every aspect of their music enter a single confluence, it’s the best thing ever.  I am completely addicted to the track “Kaikoura,” and I don’t think that addiction is going to wane any time soon.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Lucas Gillan’s Many Blessings – Arroyo (JeruJazz Records)

This debut recording comes ten years after Lucas Gillan first formed the Many Blessings quartet.  And like a bourbon that is allowed time to soak in barrels and patiently come into its own, the music possesses a confident and full presence that bleeds from every note.  There’s no one moment to point out as the embodiment of the quartet’s thing, but their tantalizing method of warping and refracting a blues and the thrilling way it launches tunes into a separate orbit has a certain magnetism that keeps the ear locked in.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Providence Research Ensemble – Music of J.P.A. Falzone (Infrequent Seams)

Such is the daydream nature of this music that it’s almost jarring when the album ends and silence fills up the room.  Strings and vibraphones and a tenor sax are the instruments used to shape this chamber session from the Providence Research Ensemble.  Actually, shape might be a poor choice of word, because this debut recording is marked by a melodic state in perpetual transition and a harmonic atmosphere thick as mist coming in off the ocean.  There’s very little apparent structure and an endless supply of beauty.  This album doesn’t really fall in this site’s wheelhouse, but every now and then I encounter an album so gorgeous there’s just no way I’m not gonna let you all know about it.

No artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Sam Sadigursky – Book 3: Ten Extended Clarinet Etudes (Self-Produced)

Sam Sadigursky has been quietly releasing a series of solo clarinet works.  The presentation of these short pieces, one after the other, is like flipping through a photo book… brief glimpses of a sonic vision before quickly moving on to the next.  The third installment is perfect for a peaceful weekend morning.  And priced at two bucks, a bargain.  Anyways, I just wanted to squeeze in a quick mention about these recordings, because Sadigursky is a site favorite, and it’s always good to keep abreast of what he’s up to.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Adam Baldych & Helge Lien Trio – Brothers (ACT Music)

Time and again, violinist Adam Baldych shows an ability to conjure up some serious drama and exploit it for all it’s worth.  However, on this follow-up release with the Helge Lien Trio, the music resonates strongest when melodies are allowed to simmer and tempos scatter like a soft whisper.  This is an approach that suits saxophonist Tore Brunborg well, as he’s capable of a pretty huge sound, but is most effective when delivering it softly and with care.  Their 2015 collaboration Bridges got a strong recommendation on this site (go read it).

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

 

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0 • Tags:

Oct 15 2017

Oh hell yes, there’s new music from Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band

 

Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band have a new album coming out soon.  Body and Shadow is releasing November 10th on Blue Note Records.  Recorded at the Columbus Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island, their fifth album marks twenty years together for the band.  Previous recordings often vacillated between expressions of fiery intensity and sublime melodicism.  Their newest winds up tight those two qualities, and the result is a fireplace warmth that inspires cinematic imagery, moody contemplation and the occasional jolt of electricity.  Speaking as someone who is a huge fan of this ensemble, this album is leaving me very happy.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come.  “Broken Leg Days” is the album’s final track.

Your album personnel:  Brian Blade (drums), Jon Cowherd (piano, harmonium, mellotron), Chris Thomas (bass), Myron Walden (alto sax, bass clarinet), Melvin Butler (tenor sax), Dave Devine (guitar).

Pre-order on Amazon.

Here’s a link to additional listening & purchase platforms.

By • Album Preview • 0

Oct 14 2017

Now up: September’s “Best of Bandcamp Jazz” recommendations

 

Now up, the latest Best of Bandcamp Jazz recommendations for The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for September 2017.  There’s ten primary recommendations in total, plus some side recommendations to boot.  Because, really, ten is not enough.

Follow this LINK to read those recommendations and listen to music from each album.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

By • Announcement - Music • 0 • Tags:

Oct 9 2017

The Round-up: The heartbeat of the city is your heartbeat, too

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Vector Families – For Those About To Jazz/Rock We Salute You (Sunnyside)

The only thing cliche about this jazz-rock crossover is the album title.  Drummer Dave King, saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Dean Granros and bassist Anthony Cox crank out a rich display of jazz-rock expressionism, and their wild abandon shifting between those expressions is a big reason why this album is so damn thrilling.  An insane rendition of Ellington’s “Satin Doll” embodies the heart of the recording, but its spirit resides in the fiery tracks “Dee Dee” and “10000 Year Old Rotary Club,” where the rate of combustion is entirely dependent on how many lit matches the quartet can dish out per beat.  Even opening track “Free Funk,” which introduces itself with a straight-forward groove, ultimately devolves into a furious rhythmic episode.

 

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Tal Gamlieli – Dania (Self-Produced)

There’s a moody ambiance to this straight-ahead session from bassist Tal Gamlieli, but it emotes a sunny disposition that keeps things from ever getting gloomy or deeply introspective.  That makes a big difference, because the melodic restraint and rhythmic subtlety might not have resonated quite so strong if the album’s heavy heart didn’t possess a heartbeat that practically dances at times.  Gamlieli is surrounded by a strong cast, with trumpeter Avishai Cohen and pianist Kevin Harris counted among the sextet that contribute to this enjoyable recording.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Dylan Jack Quartet – Diagrams (Creative Nation Music)

The music of Diagrams is free and light, like sailboats dancing upon waves along the horizon.  There’s some cheerfulness of the blues and quirky modern jazz inflections that make unconventional turns of phrase sound like old sayings.  Drummer Dylan Jack is joined by guitarist Eric Hofbauer, bassist Anthony Leva and clarinetist Todd Brunel, and they find a seriously enjoyable way of making something a little bit different very easy to embrace.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

PBB’s Bread & Fox – Live @ Jazz Club Ferrara (Self-Produced)

This is basically a live performance of the solid Piero Bittolo Bon recording Big Hell On Air.  That late-2016 release, with its bold pronouncements of melody and their subsequent deconstruction, was an exciting mishmash of modern jazz expressionism and wild improvisational freedom.  Played live, the Bread & Fox ensemble weight things far heavier to the latter quality, and it’s a big reason the music has got such a huge electrical charge.  That said, when they train their focus on the melody of “Flagstaff,” the music rings with no less intensity.  It’s the same crew joining the saxophonist, with trombonist Filippo Vignato, tubist Glauco Benedetti, pianist Alfonso Santimone and drummer Andrea Grillini.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

James Hegarty – Crossroad (Self-Produced)

What I find most appealing about this set from pianist James Hegarty, bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Shane Del Robles is that it sounds in a state of perpetual dispersal, and that any structure the music may possess is constantly unraveling.  But the music isn’t chaotic, per se, more like watching an icicle melt and recognizing there is as much poetry in the splashes below as there is in its evolving shape above.

No artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0 • Tags: , ,

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